Editorial
Editorial : An introduction to JADE - Advanced Clinical Practice Edition
Editorial
Editorial : An introduction to JADE - Advanced Clinical Practice Edition
Dr Jane Jervis Lecturer in Adult Nursing
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Keele University
Emeritus Professor Sue Read
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Keele University
Many people who have had contact with health services over the past few years will have encountered Advanced Clinical Practitioners ( ACP ’ s ). These are experienced healthcare professionals , from a variety of backgrounds , including but not exclusively nursing , physiotherapy , pharmacy , and paramedic sciences , who work at an advanced level across all healthcare settings . “ It is a level of practice characterised by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making ” and “ embodies the ability to manage clinical care in partnership with individuals , families , and carers . It includes the analysis and synthesis of complex problems across a range of settings , enabling innovative solutions to enhance peoples experience and improve outcomes ” ( Health Education England , 2017 , p8 ). Underpinning such breadth of skills lies sound educational preparation . Educated to master ' s degree level or equivalent , ACP ’ s work at a level underpinned by the four pillars of advanced practice ; clinical practice , education , clinical leadership and management , and research ( Manley , 1997 ).
The MSc Advanced Clinical Practice Award at Keele University commenced in 2015 , following involvement in the West Midlands Regional Advanced Practice Programme ( RAPP ). This was a programme , sponsored and managed by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Trust and funded by Health Education England in the West Midlands , which was established to develop both a competency framework and deployment model for Advanced Clinical Practice ( ACP ) to support workforce development across the region . ACP ’ s were being recognised as having an increasingly important role in healthcare , heightened by the national supply and skills shortage in the medical and non-medical workforce . The West Midlands region had identified its own workforce needs and although ACPs existed , these roles had developed in an uncoordinated way with little collaboration , leading to a lack of consistency around role definition and the required competencies .
The RAPP engaged a wide range of stakeholders ; employers , higher education institutions ( HEI ’ s ) and ACP ’ s , including those from acute care , mental health , community and primary care to explore the role and education of ACP ’ s . The Advanced Clinical Practice Framework for the West Midlands , developed for healthcare professionals , workforce managers , employers , and education providers was published in December 2015 . This provided a definition of advanced practice , core competencies , a standardised approach to education and the pathway to embed the ACP role within workforce planning .